Blogs

 
Male House Finch can start nest building in early March - photo by Larry Halverson

The songs of House Finches were not always heard in the Columbia Valley. In fact they were unknown in the province until 1935, when a pair of House Finches were reported nesting in Penticton. By 1937 they had also arrived on the coast and were observed nesting in Victoria. From these 2 small pioneering populations the House Finch launched its rapid range expansion into British Columbia. By 1970 it had moved east into the Southern Interior Mountains and was recorded near Cranbrook. House Finches first appeared on the Lake Windermere Christmas Bird Count in 1994 and now are common sightings at local bird feeders. Read more »

Coyote sniffing for food by Alan Dibb 

Coyotes have keen senses of hearing, sight, and smell. But it seems they use their sense of smell the most for finding food and avoiding dangerous predators. Read more »

Illustrated with a few photos from Kootenay National Park including a Wolf chasing a butterfly by Alan Dibb

This book traces the early history of biological exploration and discovery in British Columbia and Canada’s Rocky Mountain
national parks. One man, Ian McTaggart-Cowan, was at the centre of that history as an explorer, educator, advocate of wildlife and wilderness values and pioneer conservationist. Read more »

 

Great Grey Owl seen this spring near Invermere, BC - by Larry Halverson

South eastern British Columbia has more kinds of owls than any where else in Canada - a total of 14 species, ranging in size from the tinny Northern Pygmy Owl to the largest of all the North American owls, the Great Grey. Great Grey Owls are not that common but they have nested in Kootenay National Park. Read more »

Dr. Purnima Govindarajulu, chair of the Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Team is all smiles as over 2000 tadpoles were released into the Columbia Valley Marshes. by Larry Halverson

The endangered Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens), the most at-risk amphibian in British Columbia, is taking a leap forward on its path to recovery, largely due to the coordinated work of the Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Team. Read more »

  Read more »

 
Prairie Crocus is locally common in grasslands and dry meadows of the Columbia Valley
 by Larry Halverson April, 13, 2014

Crocuses are usually the first of the spring flowers as they often push their way up through snow. Read more »

 Great Canadian Parks video avaiable for viewing until March 29, 2014 at TVO

"In 1985, Kootenay, Yoho, Banff, and Jasper national parks together with Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine, and Hamber provincial parks were designated UNESCO’s Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, one of the largest protected areas in the world. Read more »

Canadian Rockies Highway Avalanche Control - Kootenay National Park - March 10, 2014 Parks Canada

Travel by air through Kootenay National Park (Highway 93S) with our Visitor Safety Specialists as they perform helicopter explosive control.

 Read more »